From
the beginning of my work I knew there was a wealth of motherhood in the black
women's hearts, but I feared the fathers lacked a love for the children and
their mothers. Many fathers entirely deserted their homes, leaving the burden
all upon the mothers, but it was a rare thing that a mother thus left her
children. Even when the father did not go off with another woman, he often
failed to provide for his family. I am glad God let me live to see that the
black man has the same father's love that exists in the hearts of other races,
but alas! his slave training crushed out this father's care and love, because
the master took from the husband and father all the responsibility of providing
for wife and child; but the mother, of course, had the care of the baby, at
least until it was able to work. I found the colored people always spoke of
mother, but rarely of father.

I'm
a little afraid that in all races fathers too often shirk their part in the
training of their children, though they may provide for their temporal wants.
During the last five years there has been a great improvement in the homes of my
fireside pupils; since we changed "mothers' pledge" to "parents'
pledge." The wife often writes with delight of the help the father is in
reading to the children and consulting with her about their general management.
Oh, I know so many beautiful homes where love and intelligence rule the
household, and the children are being trained for God's glory and usefulness in
the world?trained by the united love and care of
father and mother.

But
much yet remains to be done. Our young men should be taught that to marry
includes providing a home for his wife, giving her time to keep that home in
good order, and make it a true home for himself and children. To prove this
reform I give you the following resolutions:

At
three large associations in the state of Arkansas we have talked earnestly and
prayerfully about the subject of home religion, and the pastors and delegates
all agreed to be more thoughtful and try harder to make home what it should be.
They not only promised this for themselves but they promised to teach the same
lesson to all the husbands and fathers under their influence, but we all agreed
that the wife and mother had the power in her hands to make home happy and
intelligent, much more than the father had. This was the entering wedge that led
to the changing of our pledge from "Mothers" to "Parents."

I
will give you a part of resolutions that were discussed and unanimously adopted
at three associations, one state convention, and at some smaller meetings in
1893. I give it to you so that you can see that many, yes, a large number of the
husbands and fathers, are anxious and willing to do their part toward making
home happy and intelligent.

RESOLUTION ON FIRESIDE SCHOOLS AND
HOME RELIGION.

"First.
That we will take more time and thought in helping wife and mother to become
intelligent and also in helping her to overcome the daily temptations that
surround her. To this end we will provide her with the books and papers
necessary to join the Fireside School, and we will encourage and help her to fulfill
the duties required by that school.

"Second.
That if possible we will provide our homes with the proper cooking and other
household utensils and furniture, so as to make the houseworkeasier
for mother?have the wood and water in a convenient
place, etc. When there are many children in the family, or much work to do, we
will help her all we can when we are at home, and we will stay at home as
much as our daily labor will allow us.

"Third.
That we will make our homes as comfortable and attractive as possible for the
sake of our dear children. We think it better to spend less money in dressing
them in a fashionable way, which will only lead them to go away from
home, and instead spend more money for books, papers, music, and such things as
should induce a good child to stay at home.

"Fourth.
That we believe it is the husband's duty to provide food, raiment, and whatever
is needed for the home, and that it is the wife's duty to prepare it for use,
cook the food, make the garments, etc., and also to keep the home neat and
attractive for husband and children. This she cannot do if she must spend her
time in earning their daily bread."

I,
also, thus exhorted the wives: "Dear sisters, I want you to read these
resolutions a great many times, and thank God for them, and then try to do
your part. Do not sit down in a sulky way and say, I know the men are not
going to do what they say. They will talk nice at the meeting, but when they
come home they will let the wife carry the heaviest part of the burden?I know them,' and then shrug your
shoulders and look as if you did not believe one word they said. Now, dear
sisters, if you behave in that manner you will spoil the whole thing. Only believe
the husbands mean what they say, and help them carry out their good resolutions.
Be pleasant and hopeful. Do not make trouble for yourself by expecting it,
but look for brighter days."

LACK OF PROMPTNESS.

I
have wasted years of my life waiting upon tardy people at church, or at some
other appointment. They did not seem to know that breakinga
promise was telling a lie, unless some accident prevented their keeping the
promise. This lack of promptness was seen in the household affairs. Unless
compelled to rise at the proper hour they were tardy; women and men would
carelessly gossip instead of doing the work at the proper time and keeping the
house in order. They worked when they felt like it, instead of being governed by
the principle of right, and this matter of feeling was often transferred to
their religion and became the frequent cause of back-sliding. You must not
understand that every one belonging to the race acted thus, but certainly it was
true of the majority. Along this line I am glad to report great improvements.
More of them are careful about promising and keeping their promises, more homes
are kept in order, regular seasons for prayer and Bible study are observed, even
when they do not feel like it. A woman said one day, "Some mornings I don't
want to get up, but my children will starve if I don't, so I get breakfast for
the body when I don't feel like it. And then I feed the soul for the same
reason, with my Bible lesson and prayer." How many of my white mothers are
as wise?

SACRIFICING THE SPIRITUAL TO THE MATERIAL.

At
the associations I attended, ten minutes were often allowed for each pastor to
report the condition of his church. I had my pencil and took notes. In one
association five of them had built church houses, but reported few or no
converts, and a very cold condition of the members spiritually. This set me to
thinking. If building church edifices is taught in the New Testament then it
should be a means of grace to draw each member nearer to Christ. I'll see what
the word says on this subject. Well, do you know what I found? I found that
there is no reference to the building of church houses; Christiansworshipped
in private homes. Strange that what now costs Christians millions of dollars
should have no place in the New Testament record.

I
also noted that money was collected from saint and sinner alike, and by means of
fairs and suppers, and more than half of the Sabbath was used for collecting
money.

Another
note registered the fact that pastors had charge of the financial work because
no one else had time or else were not qualified. Turning again to the Bible I
find that God had explicitly told the pastor that his duty was prayer and the
ministry of the word. Acts 6:4. The New Testament pastors would not leave this
work, even to look after the poor, but deacons were appointed for that purpose.
Now, alas, all over the land big steeple houses grind the money out of the poor
washerwoman's hands, and the pastor has given up feeding the flock in order to
direct this work. In Louisiana the edifice was not very expensive, and yet it
was beyond their means. I tried to show the pastors their mistake.

BENEVOLENT AND SECRET SOCIETIES.

When
I came to New Orleans in 1873, only eight years after the war, I found the
benevolent organizations independent of the church were numerous. They grew out
of the fact that the people were poor. The church did not or could not care for
them in time of sickness nor see that they were buried decently. Now that they
were free they wanted to be buried like white people. I tried to show them that
this was the work of the church and that the money should be placed in that
treasury and used as the early church did. Acts 6. But they said the church
would not take the responsibility. The result was that saints and sinners joined
in the movement, and soon these societies grew to be very popular. Even
Christians would say, "Yes, I must go to my society meeting and pay my
dues. I can't neglectthat to attend the prayer meeting,
for who will care for me when I am sick." Sometimes these meetings were
held on Sunday. You can easily see that these societies helped drain the church
of its money and led Christians to look to the world for help rather than direct
to God, and thus lessened their respect for the church. Many could not see that
the money they gave the church did the members any good. They did not give as
cheerfully as they had formerly done. I taught them to save their money and to
be industrious and then they would be able to care for themselves in time of
trouble. I saw that the indolent became more indolent and lazy because they
would say, "The society will take care of me." It was very difficult
for these people to save their money. It was often stolen and we had no savings
banks in those days. We needed them. The failure of the Freedman's Bank, of
which my readers know, discouraged many. Indeed there was much to discourage and
hinder the progress of the poor black man in those early days, and there is
almost as much to-day. Slavery gave him so little knowledge of business.

The
secret societies followed the benevolent. Indeed in many places they went
before. Soon they had the right of way and the church was left in the rear, in
the opinion of a large number. In 1880 some one whom we sent out to collect
facts said we had forty different organizations among the colored people of
Louisiana. The women often had their societies separate from the men. My
judgment, based upon observation, take it all in all, is that even those
benevolent organizations did far more evil than good. The secret societies were
always a curse. They caused much domestic unhappiness along with other evils. It
is true that the churches were not up to the standard but the best people were
in them. Now through the sinner officers in the societies bad men have the power
to place the societies in place of the church, to magnify them and belittle the
church, charging it with not caring for them when sick, forgettingor
covering up the truth, that their money and influence have been given to the
societies instead of to their churches. The child of God will always find that
these societies lessen his trust in his heavenly Father and lead him to love the
things of the world. Phil. 4:19 is true for those who follow Jesus.

INTEMPERANCE.

Intemperance
was a terrible sin in Louisiana. The colored people had not learned to control
themselves and they were subject to great temptations. Saloons and groceries
worked together. You could not buy a piece of bread without a whiskey bottle
staring you in the face. While in the grocery on a plantation one day, I noticed
that the owner gave a colored man a drink of whiskey. I asked, "Do you give
the people liquor?" "O, yes, we are very generous. We often give them
two or three drams for nothing." "Do all the stores do the same?"
"Yes, all that I know," was his reply. "Two or three drams would
make them half drunk," said I. He laughed, but I told him how wicked it
was, from a Bible standpoint. In business he said it was right, and I left him.

I
remember staying in a poor cabin one night where lived a good mother with five
children. The husband was good when not under the influence of liquor. He had
just received seven dollars of his wages. His wife begged for the money, but he
would not give it to her. He bought a dollar's worth of groceries and left. We
had supper and waited in vain for the husband. He came home after 12 o'clock
quite drunk and money all gone. Our temperance work accomplished a great reform.
Even the children were very faithful in keeping their pledges. For example, a
little boy in Monroe, La., about eight years old signed the pledge. He was sick
with measles. The doctor said give him some whiskey today. The child was very
sick, he hadnot spoken all day, but now he caught his
mother's hand and pulled her down, whispering, "I'm temperance; I can't
take the whiskey." The doctor and mother coaxed and threatened, telling him
he would die if he did not take the whiskey, but the child was firm. The next
day the measles came out and he got well more quickly than those who took the
toddy. Some of the children induced their neighbors to sign the pledge, and even
had courage to reprove preachers. Alex. Brown, of Thibodeaux, La., when only six
years old signed the pledge for me, and was a great help to the cause, talking
temperance to preachers. This boy is now a teacher in Leland University. The
pastor of his father's church slept behind his pulpit from the effects of liquor
while I gave a Bible lesson in the church. Poor man, I expect his mother gave
him whiskey toddy the day he was born, by order of the doctor, who also gave the
mother a dram each day, and thus the child acquired a thirst for liquor with his
mother's milk. Then I ask the question "Who is to blame?" I fear some
doctors, together with that grocery man of whom I speak, will have a hard time
at the judgment seat when the secrets of all hearts will be revealed.